What exactly is "Workflow"

[gonzophoto]

I Hear this used a lot esp. when talking about Lightroom. This is probably something I use but don't know the proper name for :P

[Mike2005]

It describes the steps/techniques you take to develop your digital image in post processing from camera to finshed image.

[gonzophoto]

So it just refers to the PP you do?

Then why do I hear so much about how great LR's Workflow is?

[Mike2005]

That's my understanding. I could be wrong. I don't have LR but am considering buying it. From what I understand, it is an exceptional Raw converter which has intuitive and powerful editing controls that are designed specifically for photographers. Can apply these editing controls to JPEG/TIFF as well. Has the basic functions for developing an image, i.e. color management, sharpening, contrast, exposure etc. Supposedly has a good library manegement capability as well. Just not all the bells and whistes of a program such as PS.

[convergent]

Workflow is the process and steps of taking your image from the flash card to output (print, web, etc.). It includes ingesting the images into the workflow, initial processing of RAW images (if you shoot RAW), categorizing and ranking, processing, post processing, and output. The reason people are getting excited about Lightroom is because it does it all. A lot of people use multiple software applications to do the same things, which takes more time. As an example, I might have used Photo Mechanic for ingesting, ranking, and selection... then Photoshop for processing and post processing, and finally Qimage to print. I can do all of this in Lightroom.

[SgWRX]

a friend of mine has LR and he loves the photo gallery options it has to create web photo galleries. i guess that would be part of workflow also. to me, workflow isn't that important because i don't have to go through 100's of pictures. right now my flow is: copy from flash card to hard drive. open in capture one LE where i can delete ones i don't like or that are out of focus, tag ones i like. then i adjust brightness, levels, curves etc... and finally process the tagged images to convert from raw to tif. if i need to correct dust spots or color balance and contrast masks etc... i open the tif file in LightZone then if i need to print i print from qimage.

[convergent]

a friend of mine has LR and he loves the photo gallery options it has to create web photo galleries. i guess that would be part of workflow also. to me, workflow isn't that important because i don't have to go through 100's of pictures. right now my flow is: copy from flash card to hard drive. open in capture one LE where i can delete ones i don't like or that are out of focus, tag ones i like. then i adjust brightness, levels, curves etc... and finally process the tagged images to convert from raw to tif. if i need to correct dust spots or color balance and contrast masks etc... i open the tif file in LightZone then if i need to print i print from qimage.

Right, so basically Lightroom would do all of that. The web falls under "output", and Lightroom does web, slideshow, or print.... today. The thing is that its a totally open architecture and I know of companies already creating modules for it. I expect by the end of the year it will start to be come the defacto workflow engine, just like Photoshop is the defacto editor today.

The main thing about workflow is efficiency. The more efficient you can be, the less time you spend at your desk, and the more time you can spend taking pictures.

[SgWRX]

The thing is that its a totally open architecture and I know of companies already creating modules for it.

ah, so for example i've seen that you can download neat image noise reduction as a plug in to photoshop and of course there are all of the sharpening plug ins. so one of the ideas behind light room is that it will serve as the "operating system" and you can pick and choose what options you add on?

[convergent]

ah, so for example i've seen that you can download neat image noise reduction as a plug in to photoshop and of course there are all of the sharpening plug ins. so one of the ideas behind light room is that it will serve as the "operating system" and you can pick and choose what options you add on?


Its a bit more than a "plug in" in Photoshop. There are 5 modules in Lightroom, and they claim that other companies can develop new modules that would live along side the basic ones. The thing to remember about Lightroom (sorry for the tangent on the topic) is that it is really at is core a database. It stores pointers and metadata for all your images, and it gives you the tools to manipulate the data. As you work, it keeps all the changes in metadata, and only does anything with it when you go to the output stage. So if you could imagine Neat Image coming out with a Lightroom module... it would be storing metadata about the noise reduction, it would be directly manipulating the image.

[convergent]

My bad... I meant to say that NeatImage would NOT be directly manipulating the image, but rather changing metadata.

[In2Photos]

a friend of mine has LR and he loves the photo gallery options it has to create web photo galleries. i guess that would be part of workflow also.


to me, workflow isn't that important because i don't have to go through 100's of pictures.

right now my flow is: copy from flash card to hard drive. open in capture one LE where i can delete ones i don't like or that are out of focus, tag ones i like. then i adjust brightness, levels, curves etc... and finally process the tagged images to convert from raw to tif. if i need to correct dust spots or color balance and contrast masks etc... i open the tif file in LightZone then if i need to print i print from qimage.

Workflow is important to everyone regardless of how many shots you take. For instance you go on to say that wour workflow involves the above. That workflow is important to you because it is your routine. If it wasn't important then you wouldn't have one. Instead you might say that your workflow is:
1. Simple.
2. Less involved.
3. Uses multiple programs
etc.

[In2Photos]

I Hear this used a lot esp. when talking about Lightroom. This is probably something I use but don't know the proper name for :P
Workflow is simply a routine. An order in which you go from start (from card to PC) to finish (print/web/DVD slideshow) of your digital images. There are an infinite amount of workflows and some people use more than one depending on their output format. The key is finding one (or more) that work for you.

[Nanboh]

I've been using the trial version of LR and really like it. It has forced me to analyze my workflow and finally take charge of it and get more organized. I would strongly recommend that anyone determine their own workflow and set it up BEFORE you have thousands of images to deal with! :)

[canonphotog]

So it just refers to the PP you do?

Then why do I hear so much about how great LR's Workflow is?


That is actually a very good question. I downloaded LR and worked with it a bit to see what all the fuss was/is about.

To me, LR pretty much provides a streamlined path for processing your images. It also means that to use LR effectively you have to learn another program. Fortunately that has been made pretty easy to do.

While Adobe's website touts LR as a starting point and still pushes Photoshop for final finishing your images , many wedding photographers posting on the various internet forums want to automate their process as much as possible. LR offers that ability and is supposed to be faster and more intuitive than photoshop.

It's really a personal decision. (what isn't?) If you're interested, search the various photo forums for info in LR tutorials, download them, download the LR trial and spend some time seeing if it is right for you.

Ken

[SgWRX]

Workflow is important to everyone regardless of how many shots you take. For instance you go on to say that wour workflow involves the above. That workflow is important to you because it is your routine. If it wasn't important then you wouldn't have one. Instead you might say that your workflow is:
1. Simple.
2. Less involved.
3. Uses multiple programs
etc.

yeah that sounds reasonable. however, i take a cautious point of view on "workflow". it seems a sterile, although sometimes necessary, word to communicate in general what specifically and by it's nature is very unique.

it brings to mind a quote from agent mulder: "Whatever happened to playing a hunch, Scully? The element of surprise, random acts of unpredictabilty? If we fail to anticipate the unforeseen or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite possibilities, we may find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or anything that cannot be programmed, categorized or easily referenced."

So applied to digital photography, if we concentrate on packaging, labeling and noting then we may be doing ourselves a personal disservice and not allowing for those "happy accidents" that so often makes art transcendent and uplifting. :)

so when i say "processing 100's of photos" i come from the point of view that there is indeed a need to automate certain processes to make things more efficient between input and output but workflow itself isn't an "end" - and i'm not saying anyone is saying that, just that we have to be cautious about buzzwords :)

[Curtis N]

so when i say "processing 100's of photos" i come from the point of view that there is indeed a need to automate certain processes to make things more efficient between input and output but workflow itself isn't an "end"Perhaps then, the definition of a good workflow is one that allows as much automation as possible, while allowing you to find those exceptions that require different processing, and giving you the time to give them the individual attention they need.

[SgWRX]

Perhaps then, the definition of a good workflow is one that allows as much automation as possible, while allowing you to find those exceptions that require different processing, and giving you the time to give them the individual attention they need.

yes, that sounds good. i found a link to an article on digital outback photo last night: http://www.outbackprint.com/printinginsights/pi047/essay.html (this is a direct link to the article) it gives a few different points of view on processing photos.

[S.Horton]

The process of taking the digital negatives from the camera to print.

Can be as simple as you taking your CF or SD memory card to CVS, up to many, many steps in software, followed by printing in your own home.

Surely one of the big surprises in digital!

POTN members (far better than myself) are the greatest resource to help you.